August 8, 2012 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on GE Capital Participating in NATDA Trade Show

GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF), announced its participation in this year’s North American Trailer Dealers Association (NATDA) annual trade show and convention, which will be held Sept. 6-8 in St. Louis.

“CDF has been supporting the trailer industry for more than 25 years,” David Wilson, commercial leader of CDF’s Diversified Products Group, said in a press release. “Today, we provide financing programs to nearly 80 manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada. Our long history in the industry, our dedicated experts and our world-class business intelligence tools demonstrate our commitment.”

GE Capital will be manning booth #816 at the America’s Convention Center in downtown St. Louis.

NATDA president Andrew Ackerman noted that an estimated $9 million in orders were written at the 2011 show. With nearly double last year’s number of manufacturers participating this year and more than double the number of dealers expected to attend, NATDA is projecting sales during the show will top $18 million.

“We’ve successfully developed this annual event into a buying show,” Ackerman said. “With specials being offered by almost every exhibiting company, dealers have incredible buying options. Cash discounts, freight allowances and free floorplan programs have made St. Louis the place to be in 2012. And for those who aren’t ready to buy, it’s a great way to see next year’s models.”

The show caters to all segments of the trailer industry, including utility, living quarter, horse, cargo, race car, marine, dump, flatbed, recreational vehicle and toy hauler markets. Attendance is free for all trailer dealers as well as dealers in related industries.

In addition, in most of these industries dealers will now have access to CDF’s industry-leading data analysis, Analytics Online, according to a news release.

Known as COMS (Customer Online Management System), CDF’s upgraded online tool is being rolled out to more than 45,000 users at dealers across the U.S., Canada and Asia. CDF said that users will process transactions more simply and access detailed metrics and real-time reports to make more informed decisions. Visit CDF’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/GECDF to watch a video about COMS.

“Our dealer community will benefit from these upgrades by getting information they need to run their businesses more quickly and easily,” said Anuj Gaur, CDF’s chief information officer. “We’ve provided a robust tool that’s simple to use, allowing them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time with their customers.”

With Analytics Online, a user can view outstandings and wholesale finance volume over a rolling 12-month period, across multiple manufacturers and distributors, and across selling seasons. CDF said that with these insights, the user can gain a better understanding of product demand based on previous seasons and order their optimal level of inventory.